Born Under a Bad Sign
by MaverickLover2
Summary: Bart and Doralice had worked hard for what they had, and to a stranger, it looked like they were rolling in money . . . so when the Kincaid gang rode into the outskirts of town, it was easy to assume they were wealthy. Which leaves Jess Kincaid with an idea sure to disrupt everyone's lives.
1. Prologue

Born Under a Bad Sign

Prologue

"Cindy, can you come over and look after the boys this afternoon?"

There it was at last, the invitation she'd been waiting for. The father was at work, the housekeeper was out of town. The mother had an obligation at the school she couldn't get out of. It had taken her almost a month to ingratiate herself with the family, for them to know her well enough to ask her on more than one occasion to stay with the two youngest for an afternoon. Before there'd always been one of the adults somewhere in the vicinity while she took care of the two little ones; once the mother was out of the house today she'd be alone with them. The youngest one was just icing on the cake; the primary target was the wise-beyond-his-years almost five-year-old. The first boy born in the family, he was bright and chatty, and Cindy was his favorite babysitter. He made an excellent subject and would provide them with all the leverage they needed. She just required a few minutes to get the word to Dan that everything was falling into place and it was time to execute their plan. "Sure, Mrs. Maverick, what time do you want me there?"

"Two o'clock would be perfect. Beauregard will be thrilled to know you're coming to watch over them."

"My pleasure. I'm sure I can think of more than enough to keep him and Breton busy for an afternoon." Her shift at the café would be over soon, then she could hurry down to the livery and tell her brother it was time; today was the day to put their plan into motion.

"Good. We'll see you at two o'clock, then."

"I'll be there."

Cindy could hardly keep from trembling, she was so excited. At last, she was going to be able to afford all those beautiful things she wanted. And her and Al could finally get married. All because Bart Maverick was one of the wealthiest men in town, and he would do anything in the world for his children. Including pay a hefty ransom to be sure they were safe.


	2. Kincaid

Born Under a Bad Sign

Chapter 1 – Kincaid

Jess Kincaid was a bad dude. Lightening quick on the draw, with a razor-sharp temper and a cunning mind, he'd been in various kinds of trouble since he was fourteen. In and out of prison when he was younger, by thirty-five he'd learned to evade the law while still remaining on the wrong side of it.

He was difficult and dangerous, and had no trouble attracting the ladies. Tall and lanky, with blonde hair and smoldering dark grey eyes, they were drawn to him like flies to honey. That's how Cindy Elwood met him, even though she was only sixteen at the time, and for a while she was his girl. Her brother Dan quickly became part of his 'gang,' and Cindy remained enamored of him long after he'd moved on to someone else.

Two years went by, and one day Al Hammond appeared out of nowhere. He was closer to Cindy's age than Jess's, but he was already wanted in three states and had developed a talent for finding trouble. He and Cindy were drawn together, and he settled in with the girl and the gang.

Last to hook up with Jess was Robert Davis, an old friend who'd been in prison for three years. They knew each other when they were kids and had reconnected just recently. They had a fierce loyalty to each other, dating back to their youth, and nothing seemed to be able to break the bond.

They pulled bank heists and stagecoach robberies, blackmailed relatively innocent people for whatever they could get, and kept looking for that one big score. They stopped in Little Bend, Texas to have the blacksmith fix a thrown shoe, and Kincaid ended up inside Maude's on a particularly busy night.

Maude's was probably the biggest and most profitable saloon in the state, and it was all accomplished without any hint of cheating. Maude Donovan ran a clean operation when the place was first opened, and through the years it had remained that way, even when Bart Maverick took it over. Nobody was quite sure if Bart owned it or not, but he definitely ran it, and it was an honest house. They served good coffee, didn't cut their liquor, and had the best looking saloon girls around, bar none. And from what Jess Kincaid could see when he walked into the place, they were making money hand over fist. The saloon looked rich and prosperous, and so did Maverick.

There was a man that Kincaid would never understand. One of the finest poker places in the west, the man played his cards honestly. He had an older brother named Bret that handled a deck the same way, but it was Bart that fascinated the outlaw. As tall and lanky as Jess himself, he was dark-eyed and charming, with a string of ladies from Texas all the way to Minnesota. And as sharp a dresser as ever hit the streets. Maverick had everything – including a drop-dead gorgeous blonde wife named Doralice and four of the cutest kids imaginable, if you liked that sort of thing.

And the part that Jess was never gonna understand – Maverick was faithful.

Jess drank at the bar all night and listened to one customer after another talk about the manager. Or owner, as most people referred to him. And to top it off, Maverick was spending a lot of money building a big ranch outside of town. Something kept floating around in Jess's head the whole time he was there, and it wasn't until closing time that it finally came to him. Owner of a classy saloon; building a new horse ranch, dressed like a million bucks, and had four adorable kids – it was a classic set-up for kidnapping . . . and ransom. Kincaid threw down one more shot and knew this was a line well-worth pursuing. How fortuitous that Robert's buckskin had chosen this sleepy little town to throw a shoe in . . . providing Jess with the perfect opportunity to study the situation.

So the outlaw went back to his room and went to sleep dreaming of little children and big money. . .

XXXXXXXX

It turned into the usual chaos at the Maverick house the following morning. Twin seven-year-old girls getting ready for school, one almost-five-year-old who couldn't wait for Christmas and his birthday, and a clingy two-year-old who still didn't understand that Momma was going to have another baby and she didn't just want to sit and hold him all day. Plus daddy searching for some paperwork he knew he'd brought home with him and couldn't find. And to top it off, Sheriff Dave Parker had just come in the front door, holding an empty coffee cup.

"You outta coffee, Dave?" Bart Maverick asked his friend.

"No, I just found out somethin' I thought you might wanna know."

"And what would that be, Dave?"

"Jess Kincaid and his gang were spotted headin' in this direction two days ago."

"Kincaid? What's he doin' this far south? I thought he didn't like Texas weather."

Doralice Maverick filled Dave's empty cup and sat down, worn out already at this time of the morning. She'd been surprised by the pregnancy; she never expected to be carrying baby number five. Especially at her age. If she and Bart could just keep their hands off of each other . . . her ears pricked up when she heard the name Jess Kincaid. He was one of the few men in the world that she really and truly feared.

"He wouldn't come here, would he, Dave?"

"I don't know, Doralice. It depends on what he's lookin' for."

"Trouble, more than likely," Bart speculated.

Doralice shuddered. "I just get a bad feelin' about him."

"C'mere, baby." Bart gathered Doralice into his arms and held her close. "I won't let him get you."

"Maybe he won't stop in Little Bend."

"We can hope."

Dave drained his cup and stood to go. "Stop by the office and I'll show you what I've got on the rest of the gang."

"Alright. Just to make you happy. "

"Pay attention to me, Bart. This is serious. These guys could tear apart a town like Little Bend in a matter of hours. A place like Maude's makes the perfect target, and I'm just tryin' to do my job."

"I know you are, Dave. And I didn't mean any disrespect. I'll come by at lunch and see what you've got. And I'll make sure that everybody at Maude's knows about Kincaid and his boys. That's the last thing we need; a robbery."

"Maybe we won't have to worry about that. I gotta go see Malcolm at the bank. Keep your eyes open."

Five minutes later Bart was on his way to Maude's. And within the hour, Jess Kincaid had checked out of his hotel room and joined the others at their camp southeast of town. He was tired of running and had an idea that could make them enough money to live well in Mexico . . .


	3. Cindy

Chapter 3 – Cindy

"Momma?"

"Yes, Beauregard?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Doralice suppressed a giggle – Beauregard sounded so serious. He never ceased to amaze her, this precious four-year-old child of hers, or, for that matter, confuse her. "Of course, Beauregard, you can always ask me anything you want to."

"Why do I have to go to school?"

"You're not the only one that has to go to school, Beauregard. Everyone your age must go."

"But it's such a waste, Momma. I can read and write, and I can count cards. What more do I need to know to go out in the world?"

They were outside in the backyard with Lucy the cat and Miss Betty Lou the hound, and so many chickens that Doralice couldn't count them all. She sat in a porch chair they kept out back and beckoned Beauregard to come sit on her lap. It didn't take him long to accommodate her. "Honey, you think you know everything you need to get by in this world, and I will admit you are a very well educated gentleman, especially for a four-year-old. But there are things you don't know that you'll need in life, and you can only learn those in school. Counting money is different than counting to ten, and you'll certainly need to count money. You should know the history of our country so you can appreciate the freedoms we have. You have to know geography so you can go all the places your daddy went and not get lost. Those are just a few things you'll learn in school. And if you want to be as smart as your sisters, you have to learn all the things they've already learned."

"Momma! I won't learn to giggle. That's a girl trait I can do without!"

"I giggle, Beauregard."

"And you do it beautifully. Much more sophisticated than the twins. But that's one skill set I see no need for."

"Do you see my point about school?"

"I suppose I do. And it's a way to stay busy until I'm old enough to do what I want. As long as you don't think that I'm enjoying it."

"Your father didn't enjoy it, either."`

Beauregard beamed. "See? I'm more like him than anyone else."

"Does that make you happy?"

"Yes, momma. I want to be just like him."

There was a yelp from the other side of the yard; Miss Betty Lou had decided that Lucy's tail was a toy and playfully grabbed it. Lucy claimed her proprietary rights and smacked Betty Lou across the nose. Thus the yelp. Doralice gave her oldest son a hug and set him down. "Maybe you should make sure Betty Lou is unscathed."

Beauregard took three steps and squatted down on the ground to let the puppy come to him; she bowled him over when she did. Her tail wagged with joy, and she tried to lick him from stem to stern. "Yuck, Betty Lou! Yuck!"

"I have to go to the Emporium for a few supplies," Doralice informed her son. "Do you want to go with me?"

"Are we taking Breton with us?"

"No," his mother replied. "Your brother's takin' a nap. He can stay home with Lily Mae."

"Then yes, I want to go with you."

"Go inside and wash your face and hands."

Beau rose from his crouch and went to his bedroom to wash, as requested. He loved to go to Freeley's Emporium with his mother; she let him walk around the store and look at all the fascinating things they had for sale as long as he wanted to – but there was no touching allowed. That was fine with him – just the joy of seeing the brightly colored objects was more than enough.

He was glad his baby brother wasn't going along. When it was just him and momma they could take whatever time he needed to look at everything – if Breton was along, little brother whined and cried until Momma said she'd had enough, and back to the house he came. If they were by themselves and Momma didn't have something too big to carry, they'd wander on down the street, looking in the store windows, until they got to the bakery.

Ah, the bakery. What an absolute delight it was inside the bakery. Everything smelled so good – no matter what it was. And the tastes . . . there was nothing like the tastes. Whenever Momma bought anything at the bakery, she always pulled off a small piece and gave it to him. It was their little secret; he was sure she didn't do that for any of the others.

Today was no different than any other day. They went to Freeley's first, and Momma picked up something that she'd ordered from the catalog. He wandered around happily for a long time; it wasn't until they were ready to pay for Momma's purchases that he saw her. Straight blonde hair that looked like a wheat field waving in the breeze, with a white blouse and a dark green skirt. She looked at him and smiled, and at four years old he fell head over heels in love with her.

Momma turned around after she'd paid for her goods in such a hurry that she almost ran over 'dream girl.' There was a lot of 'sorry' and 'it was my fault' for the first two or three minutes; then she and Cindy (as he learned later) started laughing about something and left the Emporium together. Beauregard didn't mind the change in routine or the stranger going with them. Cindy smelled like peaches and cream, and her laugh reminded him of summer. They walked down the boardwalk talking and giggling, the bakery soon forgotten. Momma held his hand, but all of her attention was focused on her new acquaintance. Finally, when they were almost at the end of the street, they turned around and walked back. This time they stopped at the bakery, and Beauregard was given an entire pastry of his very own! He had no idea what it was, only that it was warm and sweet and tasted every bit as good as the things Lily Mae made at Christmas time.

By the time they arrived home, Momma had invited Cindy to lunch on Thursday; Beauregard was stuffed and exhausted. He didn't argue at all when Momma suggested he take his own nap, and he curled up happily in bed with his puppy and his blanket and fell asleep dreaming about the golden-haired goddess named Cindy he intended to marry.

XXXXXXXX

"How'd it go?" Danny asked her when she returned to their hotel room.

"Perfectly. I'm having lunch with Doralice Maverick on Thursday at one o'clock. I met the four-year-old. His name's Beauregard. He seems like a good enough kid. I don't know if she'll bring him or not. There's one younger than that, too. All she knows so far is that I'm new in town and lookin' for work."

"Good job. I went down to the livery and got me a job cleanin' out stalls. I start tomorrow. That oughta make Kincaid happy."

"As long as we get what we're after," Cindy remarked. "I'm sick to death of havin' no money."

"We should have plenty when this is all over with."

"Better us than them."

"Amen, sister."


	4. Both Sides Now

Chapter 4 – Both Sides Now

Bart walked into the sheriff's office and found Dave Parker going through the latest Wanted posters. "Find anything interesting?" he queried his friend.

"You know, there was a time when I halfway expected to see your face turn up in these. How come it never did?" Parker asked the now respectable businessman.

"The answer's real simple, Dave. I couldn't stand the thought of being locked up in one place. Fear of jail is what kept me honest. Now, of course . . . "

"Now you've got at least six reasons that you wouldn't break the law. Well, sit down a spell and I'll tell you what I know about Kincaid's people."

So the former gambler took a seat next to the sheriff's desk, and Parker started his discourse. "We think there's a girl runnin' with 'em. An old flame of Kincaid's, although the word old sure don't fit. Supposedly she's almost twenty years younger than him, and she's taken up with somebody else in the gang. Only description I can get is _'she's a pretty little thing.'_

"' _Pretty little thing'_ has a brother with 'em, a petty criminal. Name's Dan. Don't get me wrong, he can be just as deadly as the rest of 'em, when he has to be. But that's not the way he normally operates. I just don't think he's been pushed real hard yet.

"Then there's the new boyfriend. He's real handy when it comes to physical violence and murder. He seems to be the muscle, and he's got a real flair for the painful. Word is he's got no boundaries; there ain't nothin' he won't do.

"The last one besides Kincaid is his right-hand man, Rob Davis. Davis just finished a three-year stint in prison and hooked up with Jess as soon as he got out. They've been runnin' together ever since. Davis is a little older than Kincaid, close to the same height and build. Dark hair worn on the long side, two-gun rig. Rides a buckskin. Always looks like he's about to shoot ya."

Parker handed him a Wanted poster. "And here's Kincaid. He's the only one we got a picture of. Don't expect to see much of him unless we get held up somewhere. Specially since everybody knows his face."

Bart stared at the Wanted poster for a long time. "Dave . . . "

"You know him?"

"Not that, but I'd swear I saw him in the saloon night before last. Wasn't botherin' nobody, just standin' at the bar drinkin.' Listenin' to all the talk. You suppose I was just seein' things?"

"Anything's possible, Bart. You just never know. Let me know if you see him again."

"So that's the bunch headed this way. Well, let's hope they take a detour somewhere. We don't need 'em here. Alright, I'm headed back to Maude's. Can I borrow this to show Willie? You can pick it up when you come by later."

"Just don't lose it. I'll get it from you later today."

Maverick returned to the saloon, and he didn't see the formerly long-haired man emerging from Milt Hightower's barber shop at the end of Main Street. Davis saw him, and watched the gambler walk down to Maude's and disappear behind the batwing doors.

XXXXXXXX

"What did you find out?" Jess almost pounced on Rob when he got back to camp.

"I found out barbers run their mouths when they shouldn't. Anything else you wanna know?"

"Yeah. I wanna know about Maverick."

Davis sighed. Somethin' was botherin' Jess; he'd been jumpy and foul-tempered ever since they pulled the last heist. Maybe that's what was causing the mood. He knew better than to keep after Kincaid when Jess didn't want to talk, so he answered the demand for information. "Bart Maverick, youngest of two sons of Beauregard Maverick, one of the best poker players to ever grace the game. Mother died when they was just kids. Old man raised 'em just like him, to play poker as if their lives depended on it. And they did, in a way.

"They traveled, mostly, till Bart up and married Maude Donovan's daughter. He took over runnin' the saloon and Maude more or less retired. Everybody says the saloon is all his now. They got four kids, and rumor is another one's on the way. Him and his brother are havin' a ranch built where the old homestead was before it burned down. It's almost finished, then Maverick's movin' to the ranch. Older brother's there already. Place is supposed to be big. They didn't take no loan out with the bank to build this place, so they've got money somewhere.

"Word is Maverick's a real intense father. Involved in the kids' lives. Supposed to be close to the oldest boy, named Beauregard for his grandfather. Don't cheat at poker, don't mess around with the ladies. Too good to be true."

Jess had been paying close attention to Rob's information. Now a slow smile spread across his face for the first time in days. "Maybe too good to be true for anything else, but he's perfect for us. Now we just have to watch him and his family and bide our time."

XXXXXXXX

Later that evening, Dan Elwood rode into camp with the news of his and Al's success in getting the jobs they wanted. Jess was especially pleased with Cindy's contact with Doralice and the potential lunch, and her small but significant report on Beauregard. "Rob, I need you in Maude's playin' poker. I need to know what's goin' on in there. Then we can track everybody's movements and come up with a plan."

"I'll be in there tomorrow night."

"Good. Then the real work starts."

"You think we can pull this off, Jess?"

Kincaid hesitated but a few seconds. "I do, Rob. I think we can make more than we ever expected off of it, as long as we've got everything planned out just right. That's why watchin' 'em and learnin' all their habits and whatnot is so damn important. We need to make sure we got it set up so there ain't no room for error. When it's all over you an me will be sittin' in Mexico, drinkin' tequila and romancin' the Señorita's!"

"Just you an me? What about the others?" Davis knew what Kincaid's answer would be, but he asked the question anyway.

Kincaid shrugged. "They'll be wherever they wanna be." Which was his way of saying, "If they're alive."


	5. Insidious

Chapter 5 – Insidious

"Please, Momma, please! I'll do anything you say, just please let me go to lunch with you and Cindy."

Beauregard had talked about nothing but the dark-eyed blonde ever since they'd come home from Freeley's the other day. The child was almost obsessed. His mother shuddered to think of what he'd be like when he was old enough to fall in love; however, it was only the four-year-old version she had to deal with. "You promise to behave like a gentleman and pay attention to me when I tell you something?" she asked him in all seriousness.

"Yes, Momma. I'll sit quietly like a small mouse if that's what I have to do. I promise."

How could she deny him something that seemed to mean so much to him, and would cause so little harm? "Alright. You can go with us. But the first time I have to tell you to do somethin' and you don't do it, that'll be the last time you ever get special privileges. Understood?"

"Yes, Momma. I understand." Beauregard went running off to his bedroom, and she heard not a word from him the rest of the day. She actually had to go looking for him several times to make sure he was still alive, and she wondered just what it was about Cindy Blackstock that had him fascinated.

By Thursday he was so excited that she actually thought he might collapse. As a matter of fact, she had to tell him twice to sit down and quit acting like his baby brother. "If you don't calm down you can just stay home," were her exact words, and they put fear into his heart. He immediately sat down at the kitchen table and didn't make a sound for the next hour.

They left the house at just a few minutes to one and were the first to arrive at Sawyer's. They'd barely been seated when the front door opened and Cindy appeared; Doralice could hear her oldest son suck in his breath when he caught sight of her. Today her hair was piled on top of her head and she wore a plain pink dress, and she looked even lovelier than she had the first time he saw her. "Hello, Beauregard, how are you today?" she asked, and it took him a minute to answer her.

"I'm fine, Miss Cindy. How is your job search going?"

Cindy giggled, amused that a child so young would even remember that she was currently unemployed. "Very well, thank you. I even have an appointment with Miss Sawyer this afternoon. She has an opening for a coffee girl, and that would be a fine place to start."

"We know Sawyer quite well," Doralice explained. "I'd be more than happy to put in a good word for you."

"That would be most appreciated. I can use all the help I can get," Cindy remarked, and the women were off and talking about something else. Beauregard behaved like a perfect gentleman and the lunch hour passed by quickly, with a variety of topics being discussed. Finally the subject of babysitting was raised, and Cindy admitted to having done more than her fair share of it.

"I was wondering . . . if you'd be interested in doing some more," Doralice finally asked.

"For you . . . anytime. For anyone else . . . if you know them, sure, why not. It's better than nothing."

Beauregard almost let out a squeal. Cindy was willing to babysit! Just the idea of being around her for an entire afternoon or evening was enough to make him giddy. He listened to their conversation, enraptured by the thought of the golden-haired goddess spending time at their house, taking care of him and . . . his baby brother, the whiner.

Lunch was over, and the realization that it was time for Cindy to leave almost shattered his heart. And then he heard Momma invite Cindy over to their house for afternoon tea, as soon as she'd finished her meeting with Sawyer Bedford. _'Oh, please, please, please accept,'_ he thought, and went from agony to ecstasy in the space of a few seconds when she finally said, "Well, alright, but I can't stay very long."

Beauregard and Doralice went home, and he could hardly wait for tea time to roll around. When the knock finally came at the door he ran to answer it, disregarding Momma's warnings not to do so. He was thrilled to find Goddess Cindy standing there, and he smiled like it was Christmas when she said, "Hello, Beauregard."

It didn't take long for Cindy to reveal that she'd secured a position at Sawyer's, but it was only going to be four days a week to start. Momma assured her there would be some babysitting work available, both here and at Uncle Bret's house, and Cindy seemed to brighten up. Tea didn't last as long as lunch, and Beauregard was soon saying goodbye.

Doralice noticed how very quiet her oldest son had gotten after Cindy left, and she asked him to help her with dinner. He sat at the table and shucked corn for her, stopping only when she asked him a direct question. "Beauregard, what do you think about Cindy staying with you and your brother when I have to go out and Lily Mae's not here?"

"I think it would be wonderful, Momma."

"You like Cindy, don't you?"

"Yes, Momma. Very much."

"What about your brother?"

"Breton doesn't care."

"Alright, then the next time I have to go out we'll ask Cindy to come take care of the two of you. Would you like that?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Doralice had every intention of telling her husband all about her new friend and part-time babysitter, but by the time Bart got home that night everyone was in bed except Doralice, and she was so tired that she just forgot. It would come back to haunt her when she finally remembered.


	6. The Vanished

Chapter 6 – The Vanished

"Cindy, can you come over and look after the boys this afternoon?"

Those words were still ringing in her ears when she got off work at the café and hurried down the street to the livery. It took her a minute to find her brother Dan; he was all the way in the back changing the hay in a stall. His face brightened considerably when he finally saw her.

"Hey, sis, what are you doin' here?"

"It's time, Danny. It's finally time." Her words had a decisiveness to them.

He looked at her with confusion on his face, until he suddenly realized exactly what she meant. "When?"

"Today. At two o'clock. She's going to a meeting at the school. It'll just be me and the boys. Get out to the hideout and make sure Kincaid's got everything ready. And have the wagon behind their house no later than two-thirty." She started to leave and turned back at the last minute. "And don't forget the blankets."

"I won't. Do I need to bring Al with me? Just in case."

Cindy thought about it for a minute. "No, I don't think so. You and me can handle one four-year-old."

"Wait a minute. Whadda you mean, one? What about the other kid, the two-year-old? I thought we were snatchin' him, too."

"That's up to Jess. Night before last he said no, just Beauregard. Unless he's changed his mind . . ."

"I'll see what he has to say. If he wants both of 'em we're bringin' both of 'em. Look, I gotta go. Make sure you're ready."

"Don't worry about me. I was born ready."

Cindy made her way carefully back to the boarding house and packed her small bag. There wasn't much to include - a skirt and blouse, a new pair of shoes, and a blue gingham dress just like the pink one she had on. She'd never been so glad to leave a place in her whole life. The boarding house was somewhat better than the hotel, but not much. An old coverlet on the bed, dingy, well-worn curtains, a small kerosene lamp on the little dresser. And the bottle of rosewater; she'd almost forgotten that. All her dreams, all her hopes and plans were about to come true, and she was so excited she could hardly stand to wait.

She left the boarding house at one thirty, taking her bag with her and removing the bottle of laudanum she'd bought at Freeley's. This she slipped into the pocket of her dress, having wrapped it in a handkerchief to protect it from breakage, and secreted the bag on the far side of the chicken coop in the backyard. No one would see it there. Then she had a quick talk with herself to try and calm down. Everything had to appear normal; this was just another day she was making some extra money by taking care of the boys.

The boys. Two-year-old Breton and four-year-old Beauregard. Breton was a handsome little fellow, with dark hair and dark eyes, but he still had a two-year-olds need for momma and tended to whine incessantly when she was gone. Beauregard was more like a forty-year-old man in a toddler's body. He'd had a crush on her from that first day they'd met at Freeley's – she could see it in his eyes, and the way he ran to answer the door whenever she was expected at the house. She had a twinge for just a moment, almost feeling like she was betraying him, but she shook that off and thought about all the wonderful places she would get to see when this was all over. She straightened her shoulders and walked around the front of the house. She cleared her throat and knocked on the door, waiting for the little man to come running to open it, like always. She wasn't disappointed.

"Hello, Beauregard."

His face lit up with a smile big enough to illuminate the house. "Hi, Cindy!" he beamed at her. Breton was crying in the background.

"Mommy no go!" the two-year-old wailed as Beau held the door open wide for her.

"Sorry, Cindy, everything's normal around here," Doralice practically shouted over the baby.

"That's alright, Mrs. Maverick, I'm used to it by now. He doesn't go on for too long after you leave."

"I hope not. They've had lunch, but there's sun tea on the back porch. I should be home by five o'clock. Feel free to put Breton down for a nap anytime you want to." She bent over and kissed her oldest son on the forehead. "You be good for Cindy, Beauregard."

"He's always good for me, Mrs. Maverick. Kiss your momma goodbye, Beau."

Beauregard reached up and kissed his mother on the cheek. "I love you, Momma. I promise I'll be good."

"I know you will, Angel. Goodbye, my darlings!"

And with a wave of her hand, Doralice Maverick was out the door and gone.

Cindy bent down to Beauregard's level and whispered conspiratorially, "How about some sun tea?"

"Yes, please. When Breton stops screaming, he'll want some, too."

Cindy smiled that secret smile she had. "Don't worry, Beau, I'll make sure he gets some."

She went out on the back porch and retrieved the glass jar with the tea in it. Breton had already stopped crying by the time she returned, and Beauregard had disappeared into their bedroom. She poured herself a glass of the tea and then reached into her pocket to retrieve the laudanum. After opening it, she hesitated while she tried to decide how much to put in the jar. She had no idea how much it would take, so to be safe she poured in the whole bottle, then stirred everything to hide the taste.

She gave a glass to Breton, which he drank without any hesitation. "Beauregard," she called, "your tea is ready."

The four-year-old reappeared carrying a limp and ragged Mr. Giggles, which he handed to his brother. Mr. Giggles was a stuffed bear that Grandpa Beauregard had bought for Bart when his youngest son was just a wee lad. Somehow the animal had survived numerous washings and repairs and had become Breton's favorite toy.

Cindy handed a glass of tea to Beau and he took a big swallow. "Are you sure this is okay?" he asked the girl, and she managed a surprised look.

"Of course it is, I just drank a big glass of it myself," and she showed him her empty glass. "It probably just sat outside in the sun too long."

Beauregard shrugged his shoulders and drank the rest of what she'd given him. Within a few minutes he was yawning, and Breton had fallen fast asleep in his chair. Cindy picked up the youngest Maverick and deposited him in his crib. Now there was nothing to do but wait for Beauregard to fall asleep, and Danny to appear.

Some twenty minutes later, when Danny pulled the wagon up behind the house, Breton was still sleeping soundly, and Beauregard was close to the same state. Cindy made her way quietly out the back door, grabbed her small bag from behind the chicken coop, and threw it under the wagon seat. She looked up at Danny, waiting to hear Kincaid's decision before going back in the house.

"Just the five-year-old," Danny pronounced.

"He ain't five yet!" Cindy had been listening to Beauregard protest his age for so long that she was as adamant as he was. She turned and hurried to the back door, making sure that Breton was snug in his crib before moving to the bed that Beauregard was now sprawled across, snoring softly just like his mother. She gathered up the bag of clothes she'd put together and gently lifted him until he was hung across her shoulder, then headed for the back door. "What? Hmmm?" he yawned and rearranged himself so he was more comfortable, then drifted back into the land of the drugged.

"Hurry, Cindy!" Danny whispered as loud as he dared. He'd gotten down from the driver's seat and was waiting in the back of the wagon. Cindy handed her burden over to her brother, and he wrapped the unconscious child in a blanket and half buried him in the hay. Cindy climbed into the front of the wagon and waited for Danny to join her on the spring seat, grabbing the reins and chucking "giddup" at the horses.

The horses were turned and headed southeast at a slow trot so as to not attract any unwarranted attention. Cindy clenched and unclenched her hands and blew out a breath. "How much laudanum'd you give him?" her brother asked.

"I don't know. I poured the whole bottle into a jar of sun tea and gave 'em each a glass."

"My God, Cindy, ain't you got no common sense? You coulda killed 'em givin' 'em that much. He's gonna be out for hours."

"So what if he is? We don't need him for anything; I got plenty of stuff we can send with the ransom note." The idea was to send something of Beauregard's to his parents, so the Mavericks would be certain to know that Kincaid had the boy. "Just shut up and drive, Danny. The faster we get to the cabin the better I'll feel."

Cindy tried not to worry about anything, just let her mind drift with the wind. The planning and waiting were over, the wheels were finally in motion, and in a very short while she would be Mrs. Al Hammond and could leave this god-forsaken country behind.


	7. Gone, Baby, Gone

Chapter 7 – Gone, Baby, Gone

It was closer to six o'clock than five when Doralice finally got back from her meeting at the school. Bart wasn't home from the saloon yet, and the house was eerily quiet. "Maudie? Belle?" There was no answer. "Where is everyone? Cindy? Beauregard? Breton?" Doralice dashed from room to room, finding no one in any of them, and becoming increasingly disturbed. Just as she was about to panic, she found Breton, still sound asleep with Mr. Giggles in his crib. "Where is your brother?" she asked as she picked Breton up and found him in desperate need of a diaper change. She got him changed and dry and still he slept. She tried everything she could think of to wake him, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, she heard the back door open and the voices of her daughters drifted in to her. "Maudie, Belle, come in here please."

The twins came bounding in the bedroom. "Yes, Momma?"

"Where is Cindy? And where is your brother?" Her voice trembled as she asked the questions she was afraid of getting answers to.

"We don't know, Momma," Maudie answered. "We thought he was with you."

Doralice shook her head as she cradled Breton close. "Why won't you wake up, little boy?" she whispered tenderly to him. She could feel his little heart beating, but he was totally unresponsive. "I was at the school meeting all afternoon. Do you mean to tell me that Cindy and Beauregard were gone when you came home?"

"Yes, ma'am. All we found was Breton sleeping in his crib with that bear. Maybe they went somewhere," Belle suggested.

Doralice could feel her panic rising. "You two were in the backyard? And there's no sign of them out there?" She laid the little boy down in his crib and he never moved a muscle.

"No, Momma there's nobody there."

"Maudie, run down to Dr. Simon's office and tell him to come up here, and tell him to come quickly. And Belle, you go the back way and fetch your daddy home in a hurry." The twins just stood there looking at her, wide-eyed. "Go, girls. I mean now." She tried to keep the fear and panic out of her voice; they didn't need to know what she was thinking. While she waited for Simon to get there, she moved out into the kitchen and found what was left of the sun tea. First she smelled it, then she tasted it, and it seemed odd to her, almost sour. Next, she found a glass with only a drop or two of tea remaining, and it smelled the same as what was in the jar. She wanted to taste what was left but knew that Beauregard would be better served if Simon tasted it, and she set the glass back down.

She'd begun to walk away when she saw what would prove to be the damning evidence. Sitting on the floor was a small green bottle, devoid of anything except the label that jumped out at her like a rattlesnake curled and ready to strike. LAUDANUM. The bottle was empty, and in an instant she knew why Breton wouldn't wake up. Her little boy had been drugged.

The front door practically burst open and Simon Petrie came running in, followed closely by Maudie. "Where is he?"

"In his bedroom," Doralice answered, and Simon had disappeared before she could tell him what she'd found. The bottle still in her hand, Doralice quickly followed. "Simon," she called upon entering the room. "I found this in the kitchen."

He took the bottle from her and sniffed it. "Yeah, it's laudanum alright. Do you have any idea how much of this he had?"

Doralice shook her head, tears beginning to fall as she answered. "No, I wasn't here. I left Breton and Beauregard here with Cindy while I went to the school meeting. When I got home I found Breton like this."

"What about Beau?" Simon continued his examination of Breton, still sleeping.

"He's gone. So is Cindy."

Several minutes passed in silence while Simon finished the task at hand. When he was done he let out a long sigh of relief. "I can't find anything wrong with him, Doralice. Whatever kind of dose he was given, it doesn't seem to have done anything other than put him into a deep sleep."

"For how long, Simon?"

The doctor shook his head. "That, I have no way of knowing. What did you say about Beau?"

"DORALICE!" The cry was so loud it was practically a shriek, like that of a wounded animal. The slamming of the front door rattled the whole house, and in just a few seconds Bart stood panting in the doorway. "What happened? Where's Beauregard? And who the hell is Cindy?"

The twins were standing behind their father. Maudie's eyes were open as wide as they could go, with a gaze rapidly approaching terror lurking in them. Belle's were full of tears that were now spilling over and running down her face. Doralice gathered her wits about her and brushed past her frantic husband, ushering the twins into their bedroom.

"You two stay here and play while Mommy and Daddy get everything all straightened out, alright? I'll fix you something to eat and be back as soon as I can with it, alright? And just this once, you can eat in here." She gathered both girls into her arms and gave them a big hug. "I love you very much, and so does daddy. I'll be back as soon as I can with some supper." She kissed first Belle, then Maudie, and held them at arm's length from her. "Everything will be okay."

Doralice waited until both girls had calmed down and then left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She went straight to the kitchen and pulled out the loaf of bread she'd baked that morning, slicing off enough to make sandwiches. Thank God she had leftover salt pork from breakfast, already cooked, and some tomatoes from Freeley's. In just a few minutes she had supper, which she put on plates and took back into the twins' bedroom. Once they were eating she returned to the boy's room, where Bart and Simon were talking.

"You terrified them," Doralice told her husband, and while he looked duly chastised he was no happier than he'd been when he first arrived. "I calmed them down and made them a sandwich," she explained before he could say anything.

"Good. I'm sorry I upset them, but I was . . . am . . . scared to death. What happened? And who is Cindy?"

"Listen, you two. Breton seems to be alright, except for the deep sleep. Keep an eye on him and left him sleep until he wakes by himself. I have to go back to my office. Beauregard is probably in the same state, but come and get me when you find him. You're lucky. Any more of that and . . . "

Simon picked up his black bag and headed for the front door. Bart momentarily stopped him. "Simon, thanks."

Once Simon was gone, the Mavericks sat in the living room while Doralice explained everything she could think of. The accidental meeting in Freeley's . . . the bonding of the two women . . . Beauregard's instant adoration of the long-haired blonde. Their lunch and friendship, Cindy's employment at Sawyer's and taking care of short-term babysitting work for Doralice . . . and, finally, the school meeting she just couldn't get out of and . . . when she was finished, she threw herself into her husband's arms and wept. "Why would she take Beauregard? What does she want with him?"

"What was her last name, Doralice?"

"Blackstock, she told me."

"Did she know anybody else in town?"

"I don't think so."

"Did . . . did she seem to like him?"

"Like him? She treated him like a little brother. And I already told you, he was crazy about her."

"Could she have taken him someplace, Doralice? I mean around town. Somewhere we can go to look for them?"

"Why would she? And why drug Breton and leave him here?"

What in the world would she want with a four-year-old? And why the laudanum? He couldn't think straight. All he kept thinking was his little boy, his precious little boy, was out there somewhere in the world with a woman Bart didn't know. He didn't' know where to begin. They needed help, and they needed it fast. "Doralice, you stay here. Don't let anybody in except me or Dave. I'm goin' over to see him now."

"Wait, Bart, why? What are you thinking?" She grabbed his right arm and wouldn't let go until he gave her an answer.

"I'm thinkin' we need the sheriff."

XXXXXXXX

The door to the sheriff's office crashed open, and Bart followed it in. Parker jumped about three feet out of his chair and bellowed, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Dave, you gotta come back to the house with me, now. We need your help."

"Calm down, Bart. What's this all about?"

"Beauregard's missin'. Some young woman Doralice has known for a month was babysitting him, and when she came home, they were both gone."

"Maybe they just went out for a walk or somethin'."

"And Breton had been fed laudanum."

Parker grabbed his hat. "Let's go."


	8. Waiting

Chapter 8 – Waiting

Doralice repeated everything she'd told Bart to Dave Parker, and he listened attentively, occasionally interrupting to ask a question. "Was she in town by herself? Where does she live? What does she look like? Would Beauregard have gone with her willingly?" When she was finished and he had all of his questions answered, he stared down at his boots as he told the frantic parents, "I think I know who she is, but you ain't gonna like it. Not one damn bit."

Doralice spoke up. She needed to know the truth, no matter what it was. "Who is she, Dave? And what does she want with our son?"

"I think she was part of Jess Kincaid's gang, Doralice. She must have split off from the rest of 'em and stayed here for some reason, cause it's been a month since they were first spotted comin' this way. Ain't nobody seen any of the rest of 'em, and I can't see Kincaid just sittin' around this area doin' nothin'."

"Maybe they got somethin' big planned and they're killin' time," Bart suggested.

"That's possible, but I think it's more likely the girl just got tired of the whole mess and decided to go into business for herself."

"Business? Doin' what?"

"Snatch and grab," Dave answered. "Kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?" Bart practically spit the word out. "What for?"

"For money, of course," Parker explained. "She sees you've got a nice house, Bart's got a good job, she figures to make enough money to get her a grubstake. Did she leave a note of any kind?"

"No. The only thing she left was this bottle." Doralice gave the bottle to Dave. She'd been carrying it around since Simon returned it to her.

"Laudanum. Well, that answers the question. She needed to keep him quiet so she could get him out of town without somebody noticing."

Doralice was still confused. "But how? She didn't even own a horse!"

"Livery's not that far. She probably got a buggy. I'll go over and talk to Fred, see if he remembers her."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Nothin'. I want you to stay here and see if you get any kind of note or message from her."

"Dave . . ."

"No, Bart. You need to be here in case she's got somebody workin' with her. Let me handle this. I'll be back as soon as I talk to Fred."

Once the sheriff was gone, Doralice turned to her husband. "I think you better do some damage control with the girls. They were scared to death and needed more reassurance than I could give them in just a few minutes. And you have to stay calm when we talk to them. Can you do that?"

Bart reached over and gripped her hand tightly. "Yeah, blue-eyes, I'm alright. Go get 'em." He gave her hand a squeeze and let go.

Doralice was back in just a few minutes, with Maudie holding onto her right hand and Belle her left. As soon as the older twin saw her father, now calm and quiet, she turned loose of her mother and ran to him. Belle maintained the hold she had on her mother. "I'm sorry I scared the two of you. Sit down here with us and we'll tell you what we know."

"Are you sure?" Doralice asked her husband.

Bart nodded. "Yes. I'm not gonna lie to them."

"Poppy, where's Beauregard? What happened?" Maudie snuggled as close to her father as she could get and held his right hand in both of hers.

"He's with Cindy, sweetheart. We're just not sure where she is right now. But Sheriff Dave has gone to look for her, and we hope she'll be back with your little brother real soon."

"Did we do something wrong, daddy?" Belle asked in a voice that was almost inaudible.

"No, darlin', you didn't do a thing. I'm sorry that I scared you both . . . everything's gonna be alright."

"What about Breton, momma? Why is he still asleep?"

"Well, honey, Breton just got too much medicine. And all it does is make him sleepy. Doctor Simon says he's fine, he just needs to sleep it off. I'm sorry I wasn't here to fix dinner, but there's some berry pie in the kitchen that we can have for dessert. Then I want the two of you to get ready for bed."

"Will you read us a story, daddy?" Belle pleaded with her father.

"I will. Let's go get some of that pie, shall we?"

XXXXXXXX

The house was quiet again; the twins were in bed asleep, and Bart was strapping on his gun belt. "What are you doing?" Doralice asked when she walked into the bedroom.

"I'm goin' out to find Dave and Beauregard, not necessarily in that order. I've waited long enough for him to get back; I ain't gonna wait no more."

"Bart . . . "

"He was just goin' to talk to Fred at the livery, Doralice. That don't take two hours. I'm worried that somethin's happened to him."

"I'd rather you didn't go." Doralice had no sooner gotten the words out of her mouth, then there was a knock at the front door. She hurried to the door to answer it and found Parker, looking the worse for wear.

"Where's Bart?" she heard him ask, and he clattered into the front room.

Bart exited the bedroom in a big hurry. "Shhhh, Dave, the girls are asleep."

Parker saw the gun belt and had to ask, "You get tired of waitin'?"

"You were just goin' to the livery. You were gone so damn long I figured you needed rescuin'."

"I was at a lot more than just the livery. Come sit in the front room, and I'll tell you all about it."

Bart and Doralice sat side by side on the settee and held onto each other tightly, while Dave sank into one of the chairs. "Fred had quite a bit to say. About a month ago, Danny Blackstock came in lookin' for work. Fred needed somebody to muck the stalls, so he hired the kid. Two or three times a blonde came in to see him, and the last time she was there, Fred asked who she was. Seems it was his sister, Cindy. Yesterday Fred went to get somethin' at Freeley's, and when he came back, Danny and a wagon and horses were gone. He ain't seen the kid since."

"There's gotta be more than that," Bart insisted.

"There is. I checked the hotel, and neither one of 'em was livin' there, so I started with the roomin' houses. The girl was stayin' at Mrs. Jordan's, but by the time I got there she was long gone. Took everything she owned with her, which didn't look to be much. So it looks like I was wrong about her goin' into business for herself. Which means either the whole gang split up, or the rest of 'em's lurkin' around here somewhere."

"You think they're all here, don't ya?"

The sheriff nodded. "I do now. I think they're waitin' for somethin'."

"For over a month? What could they be waitin' for?"

Dave shook his head. He'd racked his brains trying to answer that very question. "I don't know, Bart. But we're gonna have to find out if we wanna get your boy back."


	9. Fifty Thousand Dollars

Chapter 9 – Fifty Thousand Dollars

There was no sleep that night, either for the sheriff or the Mavericks. Bart paced back and forth, wondering why Doralice hadn't told him about Cindy. Doralice felt guilty that she'd forgotten to tell her husband about her new friend.

Around three in the morning, Doralice went to make a fresh pot of coffee and only succeeded in dropping the coffee pot and spilling everything all over the kitchen. By the time Bart got to her she had broken down in tears, and the only thing he could do was hold and try to comfort her. For once, he wanted someone to hold and comfort him. The rest of the night crept by slowly, and the later it got the worse husband and wife felt.

Bart went out to the chicken coop as daylight broke and gathered eggs for breakfast. He certainly didn't feel like eating, and he doubted if his wife did either, but the girls needed to be fed, and so did Breton if he ever woke up. When he returned to the kitchen he took a good look at Doralice and wondered if he looked that bad. He almost said something before deciding that keeping his mouth shut was probably the best thing he could do.

Maudie and Belle got up by themselves and got dressed with no help, and Doralice made biscuits while Bart scrambled eggs. The girls sat at the table without making a sound, and the silence was unbroken until a loud cry emanated from the boys' room. Doralice went running, with Bart not far behind, and both parents were thrilled to find their youngest son had finally slipped the bonds of sleep. After another diaper change, his momma brought him into the kitchen.

While Bart prepared a plate for each of the twins, Doralice fed Breton scrambled egg, which he ate greedily. When the girls were finished, Bart put on his coat and hat and reached for their hands. "C'mon, I'm walkin' you to school. Me or your mother will be there to get you this afternoon. Don't leave with anyone but one of us, no matter what they tell you. Understood?"

"Not even the sheriff, Daddy?" Maudie asked, and Belle waited expectantly for an answer.

"Not even the sheriff," came the swift reply.

"Wait!" Belle cried as Bart started to leave. "We have to kiss Momma."

The girls hurried over to their mother, and each kissed her in turn. When they were finished they went straight back to Bart. "I'll be right back," he promised Doralice, and the three of them set off for school.

When Breton was done eating he crawled off his mother's lap and immediately went looking for his brother. "Bo-Bo," he called as he wandered through the house. "Bo-Bo where is you?"

Doralice's heart broke, to hear her littlest angel searching for his big brother. "He's not here, Breton."

"Where he, momma?"

"He's out for the day, sweetheart. He'll be back, just not right now."

"No, Momma, Bo-Bo come home!" Breton started to wail, loud and long, and he drowned out the sounds of Danny Elwood depositing a note on the Maverick's doorstep.

When Bart got back to the house from taking the girls to school, it was easy to spot something pinned to the front door . . . something that hadn't been there when he left. He could only assume it was a ransom note and hurried to retrieve it. He removed it carefully and read it as he opened the door and stepped inside, and then reread it. He was holding the note and shaking when Doralice entered the front room.

"Bart, what is it? Is that a ransom note?"

She hurried over to her husband when she got no reply and took the paper from him. After reading it over, she understood why he was so upset.

 _To the Mavericks: We have Beauregard. If you want him back alive it's going to cost you $50,000. No money, no kid. And don't be bringing in no John Law. You have 24 hours or he dies. Jess Kincaid_

"Fifty thousand dollars . . . fifty thousand dollars . . . oh my God . . . they think . . . they think we're rich. My God, Doralice, they think we're rich!" He let out a howl that sounded like a wounded animal . . . and collapsed into her arms, sobbing. "They're gonna kill our little boy!"

She held him, and listened to him grieve over what he thought was inevitable . . . for some unknown reason she stayed dry-eyed. She maneuvered him to the couch where they sat for minutes on end, while she tried to reassure him there had to be a way out of this. Finally, his body and mind exhausted and his tears dried, he reverted to the calm, rational man that she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. By the time the knock on the door came, he was once again Bart Maverick.

It was Dave Parker. "I got a posse, and we're gonna go out and find your boy," he told them. "Will you come with us?"

"I think you better read this first," was Bart's reply, and he handed the note over to the sheriff.

Parker read it and his face fell. "Where did you . . ."

"I took the girls to school. It was pinned to the door when I came home."

Dave shook his head. "I'm gonna disband the posse. Send 'em all home. I don't wanna take the chance with Beauregard's life. . . at least now we know where the rest of the gang went."

"They think we're rich, Dave. All them damn rumors in the saloon that I own the place. Kincaid musta heard 'em and believed 'em. What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, buddy. I really don't know. Let me get rid of the posse and I'll be right back. Just sit here, alright?"

"Sure," Bart murmured. He reached for his wife's hand and held onto it for dear life.

Parker got up and left; he was gone about five minutes. "There's somethin' else you need to know," he started when he returned. "One of Kincaid's men has been workin' for Pauly Wilcox out at the B Bar M for the last thirty days. That's probably where he got the idea you were wealthy. I think it was Cindy's boyfriend. He's gone now."

"Where do we go from here, Dave?"

"That's real simple, Bart. You got fifty thousand dollars?"

The father didn't want to smirk, but the irony of it all couldn't escape him. "You know I don't."

"Then we better figure out where Beauregard is and how to rescue him."


	10. Black Coffere

Chapter 10 – Black Coffee

"Jesus, Cindy, how much of that stuff did you give him?" Kincaid was loud and angry. They'd been waiting since yesterday afternoon for the kid to wake up, and there was still no sign that he was about to. She'd been warned more than once to be careful with the amount she used of the laudanum, and she'd obviously paid no attention.

"I dumped all of it in a pitcher of tea and gave him a glass. I told you that yesterday. I asked you more than once how much to use, and you didn't know for sure." Cindy wasn't intimidated by Kincaid, and she wasn't going to let him push her around, even verbally.

Rather than argue with the blonde that had once been his lover, he changed the subject. "Danny get back yet?" Dan Elwood had ridden into town to leave the ransom note on the Maverick's doorstep.

The question was no sooner out of Kincaid's mouth than Danny walked into the cabin. Or rather what was left of the cabin. Long abandoned, Rob Davis had found the place weeks ago. It was enough to keep them out of the weather, but so well hidden that most of the gang had a hard time finding it. In the middle of the room stood an old stove that had been coaxed back to life. One lone corner had been cleared, and a bed with clean sheets installed. At the moment, the solitary figure of a four-year-old slept there.

"It's done, Jess, just like you said. I left the note on the front door."

"Anybody see you?" Al Hammond asked him.

"No," Cindy's brother answered. "That was the whole purpose, wasn't it? For me to get in and out without bein' seen?"

"No need to be so touchy. I was just checkin'." Al was standing behind Cindy, who was sitting next to the bed that held the kidnap victim.

"Come on, Beauregard, time to wake up. You've been asleep long enough." There was the sound of concern, even worry, in her voice. She hadn't meant to put too much laudanum into the tea she gave the boy, she just wanted to be sure he'd sleep until they could get him back here. Not only had he done that, he'd slept all afternoon and night, and at seven in the morning had yet to begin exhibiting signs that he was on the verge of waking up.

Cindy reached across the bed and encircled the little hand lying there with one of her own. She kept trying to convince herself that she'd done the only thing possible given the circumstances; they'd all worked too hard and too long to let her feelings get in the way of the job. Besides, from what she'd seen the Maverick's should be able to pay the ransom – then she and Al could get married and Beauregard could go back to his mother and father.

It took a minute to realize that his fingers moved and flexed, and she watched him carefully for the next few minutes. Slowly the dark eyes opened and stared right at her. "Momma?" came out as a whispered question.

"No, Beauregard, it's Cindy. It's time for you to wake up now."

The eyelids fluttered open and shut for a minute or two before finally staying open. "Where's Momma?"

"She's not here. You're not at home, you're with me."

"Why?" the child asked, starting to become agitated. He should be at home, with his momma, not someplace with Cindy. Where was momma? He tried to sit up but was unsuccessful. "Where am I?"

"I told you, Beau, you're with me." Cindy tried her best to keep her voice soft and soothing, but Rob Davis heard her and appeared behind her.

"Hey, Jess, the kids awake," he called to Kincaid, and Beauregard got a frightened look on his face.

"Who is that? Where am I? Where's my momma?" His voice had become loud and demanding, as demanding as a four-year-old Maverick could be, and he pulled his hand from Cindy's and finally sat up in bed.

"Loud, ain't he?" Davis asked.

"I am not loud," Beau protested. "I want my mother. I want to go home. Now."

"Demanding little kid." That was Al, who was still standing behind Cindy. "You better feed him, before he starts yellin'."

"Do you want some biscuits and gravy?" Cindy questioned the child. "There's still some warm."

"Can I have some coffee, too?"

Cindy was startled. "You're too young for coffee!"

"Aw, give him some," Al urged. "If he's old enough to ask for it, he's old enough to drink it."

"Do you drink coffee at home?"

"Yes," he fibbed without hesitation.

"Can you drink it black? We ain't got nothin' to put in it."

"Sure," Beau replied, determined to do just that.

"I'll give you half a cup, but that's all," Cindy told him. She took the cup Al handed her and turned towards the boy slowly. He reached out and grabbed hold of it with both hands before bringing the edge of it to his lips.

"Be careful, it's hot," Cindy warned him before he could get burned. Instead of a big swallow, Beauregard took a small sip. Cindy had told him the truth . . . it was hot. Bart never let the children have more than a swallow or two, and the idea that he had a whole half-cup to himself almost made Beauregard forget that he still didn't know where he was. Or why he wasn't home with his mother and father.

"Now, how about biscuits?"

"Yes, please. Then can I go home?"

"Persistent, ain't he?" asked Al.

Cindy brought him two biscuits with some lumpy looking gravy covering them, and Beau set the coffee cup on the bed to accept what was supposed to be his breakfast. None of this made any sense to him, and he wanted to go home. He concentrated on eating, then drinking his coffee, and paid no attention to anything else until his belly had quit growling. Once Beauregard was finished, he took a good look around. Nothing that he saw impressed him.

There was Cindy, of course. He was beginning to regret the day he'd become enamored of her. The man standing just to her left kind of looked like her, and Beau assumed he must be a relative of some sort. There was a taller, older man stoking the stove, and two more standing by the front door talking quietly to each other. They all looked like men his father would have kicked out of the saloon.

Beauregard thought he'd try a different approach. "Why am I here? Why am I not at home? What are you going to do with me?"

The two standing at the door turned around and stared at him. "Keep him quiet, Cindy," the older looking of the two remarked.

Cindy almost laughed out loud, but decided that wasn't a good idea. Jess had just given her an impossible task . . . keeping Beauregard quiet. 'I'll do my best, Jess." She turned back to the boy and whispered, "Please, Beauregard, don't cause any trouble."

"I want to go home, Cindy," Beau demanded loudly.

"You can't, Beau. Now behave, or I'm the one that will end up gettin' hurt."

"Why not? Why can't I go home?"

"SHUT UP, KID!"

Beauregard looked at the man defiantly. "You aren't my daddy. You can't make me."

"Beau, please," Cindy begged. "He can hurt you if you aren't quiet."

"He wouldn't dare. My daddy would kill him."

Rob leaned over to Kincaid and had to chuckle. "I guess the kid don't know who you are, Jess. He sure don't seem to be afraid of you."

Kincaid almost smiled himself. "Don't sound like it. Maybe we can get him to join the gang. Why don't you ride into town, Rob, and see what you can find out? Nobody knows you by sight."

Davis nodded agreement. "Alright. I'll snoop around and see what's bein' said. Anything else you want?"

Kincaid shook his head. "Nope. Just see what you can hear."

Another nod, and Davis left for town. Beauregard perked up and yelled at him, "Hey, Mister, take me with you! I wanna go home."

Kincaid walked over to the bed. "Alright, kid, that's enough. Keep your mouth shut or she gets hurt."

The little boy put his hands on his hips and glared at Jess. "A gentleman never hurts a lady."

Kincaid raised his right hand and backhanded Cindy, almost knocking her off her chair. "Ain't no gentlemen in this place, kid."

Beau quickly shut his mouth. Maybe he better be quiet for a while, at least until he figured this out. He wasn't quite sure what to do next, and for the first time in his life he was lost for words.


	11. Rumors and Innuendoes

Chapter 11 – Rumors and Innuendoes

Bart had gone to the sheriff's office over an hour ago frustrated, angry and confused. Nothing of any consequence was resolved; instead he returned to the house in just about the same state. He knew that he couldn't raise fifty-thousand dollars before tomorrow morning, no matter who he tried to get it from. He went straight to the bedroom and strapped on his shoulder holster, then his gun belt, and put his buckskin jacket back on. "Doralice!" he called, and his wife appeared in the doorway.

"What's goin' on?" she questioned.

"Parker's got no ideas. All everybody keeps talkin' about is a posse. That ain't gonna do no good, so I'm goin' out by myself. They've gotta be around here somewhere and by God, I'm gonna find 'em."

"Bart . . . "

"I know, it probably won't do any good, but I've got to try. We haven't got fifty-thousand dollars, and I don't know where we could get it. I can't just sit here and do nothin', Doralice. I gotta try and find him."

"Are you goin' out alone?"

"Yeah. If I ain't back by the time the girls are done with school today, take Dave or one of his deputies with you and go get 'em. You heard what I told 'em this morning, so you'll have to fetch 'em. And pray, baby." Before Bart could go any further, there was a knock on the door. "Damn it, I told Dave I was goin' alone." He strode to the front door and was about ready to chastise the sheriff for not listening to him when Doralice heard the door open, followed immediately by a gasp from her husband and a familiar voice.

"The sheriff had to send me a telegram? My own brother couldn't do it?"

"Bret!"

"Well, good, at least you recognize me."

Doralice ran out into the front room to hug her brother-in-law, ridden in from Claytonville. Bret had gone there for three days to finalize the sale of his house. Once that was finished, Bret and Ginny were back in Little Bend to stay. "How did you get here so fast?"

"Rode the horse damn near to death. Why didn't you send for me?"

Bart looked embarrassed. "To tell you the truth, I didn't even think about it."

Doralice led them both over to the settee. "He hasn't thought about anything else but Beauregard since yesterday afternoon. You two sit down and I'll get you coffee."

"I've got to go," Bart protested.

"Not without me, and my horse ain't goin' nowhere right now. You gotta wait until I got somethin' to ride again."

"Forget the coffee and go to the livery with me. You can take Doralice's horse Candy."

"Alright. Let's go."

And in a moment they were gone, Bart leading the way to the livery, Bret following. Doralice abandoned the coffee and sat down in the living room, just as the youngest of the family toddled in. "Bo-Bo?" he asked his mother as she picked him up from the floor.

"No, honey, that was Uncle Bret. Bo-Bo is still gone." She'd no sooner gotten him onto the settee than he burst into tears. "Shhh, baby, shhh. Daddy and Uncle Bret went to look for Bo-Bo. They'll find him and bring him home soon enough." She held him and rocked him and he quieted down. "I have to put you in your crib for now, so I can start supper. You and the girls have to eat, even if your Daddy and me can't." Once Breton was settled, Doralice began working on the next meal, and fervently praying that Bart and Bret would be successful.

XXXXXXXX

Willie had opened Maude's just as he always did, only without Bart. There were more than the usual number of cowboys and trail hands and who knows what else there today, maybe because everyone had heard about Beauregard's disappearance. Billy Sunday had come in to help run the place with Bart out, and the two of them were tending bar and trying to dispel all the rumors. It hadn't taken long for the news that Beauregard Maverick was missing to spread through the little town.

"No, Bart doesn't own Maude's. Maude Donovan still owns it." "No, Bart and Doralice ain't wealthy." "He's not buildin' the ranch alone, he's got a partner."

"Boy, people sure got funny ideas about things, don't they, Billy?" Willie Beacham had been listening to wild tales all morning about how rich everybody thought Bart and Doralice were.

"Yeah, whoever's got the little guy has it all wrong. The Maverick's ain't got no more money than you and me. Well, maybe a little. But not the kind of money that somebody thinks they got."

Rob Davis stood at the end of the bar and listened to all the rumors and innuendoes. And to all the denials issued by the two men behind the bar. This did not sound good. How could Jess have gotten it so wrong? He was sure that Maverick was loaded, or close to it, but everything Rob heard pointed to the exact opposite. He stayed in the same spot and drank most of the afternoon, and the bartender's stories never changed. No matter who asked what, all they could say was that Maude was the one with the money and that she still owned the saloon. He wasn't about to head back to the cabin without at least a confirmation, so he walked down to the sheriff's office, masquerading as a bounty hunter looking for. . . himself.

Jerry Samuels was the only one in the office when Rob got there. He introduced himself as David Ross and inquired about the Kincaid gang. "You a bounty hunter?" Jerry asked.

"Yep," Davis answered. "I was trackin' Rob Davis when he met up with Kincaid, and they just kinda disappeared."

"Davis ain't wanted for anything right now," Jerry told him.

"Yeah, I know that. But I figured by the time I track him down he will be. I heard that they was in these parts about a month ago. Know anything about that?"

"They were seen right around that time, but nobody's spotted them since then."

"And what's all this I heard today about a kidnapped boy?"

"Yeah, somebody snatched Bart Maverick's four-year-old and sent a ransom note askin' for fifty-thousand dollars. Don't know what Maverick's gonna do."

"Pay the ransom?" Rob asked.

Samuels laughed. "He ain't got that kind of money. Half the town thinks he's wealthy, but he's just a poker player that married the owner's daughter."

"That's tough. Sounds like it ain't gonna turn out well."

"You might wanna stick around. Supposedly the ransom note came from Jess Kincaid. If he's involved, then Rob Davis is, too."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'll stay and see how it all falls out. Thanks for the info, Deputy." Davis tipped his hat and left the office. He got on his horse and rode back to the cabin. He needed to have a serious talk with Jess.


	12. A Change of Plans

Chapter 12 – A Change of Plans

"Any idea where you're headed?" Bart had been riding around for the last hour, more lost than anything, and Bret figured it was time to put a halt to the proceedings.

"What? Well, sort of." Actually, Bart knew exactly what he was looking for, he just couldn't find it. There were two or three old, rundown cabins out the way they'd come, and he had a feeling that one of them was serving as the gang's hideout.

"You lookin' for the cabins?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the ones we used to play in when we were kids."

"Yep, those are the ones."

"You figure that's where they are?"

Bart pulled his horse up for a moment and stared at his brother. "If they've been here for the last month, they been hidin' out somewhere. I figure those old cabins are as good a place as any."

Bret took a good look at his brother. Bart was pale and thin and looked like he hadn't slept in days. Had it only been twenty-four hours since Beauregard disappeared? It seemed like weeks. Bret was angry. How could someone, anyone, take a small boy and hold him for ransom? They had to find him and bring him home before things could get any worse. That meant they had to find the gang's hideout. Bart was probably right, the old cabins were as good a place to lay low as anywhere. Now, if they could just remember where the buildings were . . . his head swiveled in all directions, trying to find anything that looked familiar. Then something came to him that he hadn't thought of before. "Come on, Brother Bart, I got an idea." And without further ado he urged his horse southwest, with Bart scrambling to keep up with him.

XXXXXXXX

Davis headed back to the cabin, making sure that no one was following him. Kincaid wasn't going to be happy by the turn of events, but Rob didn't see that there was much he could do about it. He hid his horse and found Al and Danny outside smoking, Cindy attempting to cook supper, and the kid asleep again. Jess was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the boss?" he asked Cindy's brother, who took a draw on his cigar and shrugged.

"Don't know. He left about thirty minutes ago and ain't been back since."

Rob headed back inside and stood behind Cindy, who was cooking what looked to be a chicken and some potatoes. "How much attention did you pay to the Maverick's?"

"What kind of attention?"

"Did you check to see if they really had money?"

She stirred the potatoes and looked towards Rob. "No, I didn't. How was I supposed to do that? Asked to see their bank account?"

"He don't own the saloon."

"What do you mean, he don't own the saloon? Of course he owns the saloon."

"No, his mother-in-law still owns it. He just runs the place."

"Are you sure?"

Davis nodded. "Yeah, I spent the afternoon drinkin' at Maude's. Listened to all the gossip and a couple of long-time bartenders. Then I played bounty hunter and talked to one of the deputies. Jess ain't gonna be happy."

Cindy knew what Kincaid could be like when he wasn't happy. "He was the one that said Maverick owned the saloon. He ain't got nobody to blame but himself."

"That ain't gonna make no difference."

A horse whinnied outside, and Rob recognized the sound. "It's Jess. Wonder what he's gonna do with the kid?"

A look of fear passed across Cindy's face. "You think he'd hurt Beauregard?"

"I don't know what he's liable to do, my dear. Almost anything, I would think."

It took a few minutes before Kincaid appeared in the doorway to the cabin. As soon as he spotted Davis, he headed right for his second-in-command. "What did you find out?" he queried.

"That Maverick don't own the saloon. His mother-in-law still owns it. Not only that . . . he's got a partner in buyin' the ranch. Most of the rumors that you heard about how well off he was were just that . . . rumors. He ain't got fifty-thousand dollars, Jess, and I don't think he's got any way to get it."

Just about that time, Beauregard woke up and rolled over. He was quiet at first, watching Cindy and her interaction with the two strangers he didn't know, but eventually he sat up in bed and paid attention to the conversation. "Daddy don't have lots of money. But Grandma got lots of money."

Kincaid had heard every word the little boy said, but asked the child to repeat it, anyway. "Daddy's got way less money than Grandma's got." The outlaw threw back his head and laughed, not at all what Rob or Cindy expected.

"What is it they say? Out of the mouths of babes? There's the solution to our problem. We need another ransom note. To the right person, this time." He called out to the men outside, "Al, get in here. I've got a job for you."

Al put out the rest of his cigar and hurried inside. "Yeah, boss?"

Jess didn't waste any time. "I want another ransom note. This time it gets left at Maude Donovan's house. Tell her she's got until six o'clock tomorrow night to come up with sixty-thousand dollars or we start sendin' her the kid's body parts, one at a time. And here's a little somethin' to show her we mean business. Take that scarf off his neck and get some blood on it, then leave that with the note."

"Whose blood, Jess?"

Kincaid carried a knife concealed in his right boot; he'd slipped it out while he was talking and grabbed Cindy's left arm. One quick superficial slice down the inside of her arm and Al had all the blood he'd need. Hammond hurried over to Beauregard and removed the neck scarf the boy wore, then quickly wrapped the wound on Cindy's arm to stop the bleeding. The girl let out a yelp when she first felt the blade pierce her skin, but the injury was a mere scratch and she didn't make another sound. "Make sure you get in and out without gettin' caught, Hammond," Jess ordered as the blood-stained scarf was wrapped up in the note. "Wait another hour, then it'll be dark. And for God's sake, don't let nobody see you."

Al looked from Cindy to Jess, then nodded. He took the paper and pen outside to write the note, then wrapped the scarf up and stuck it all in his back pocket. He went to saddle his horse and avoid the rest of the scene inside.

"You no-good son-of-a-bitch," Cindy spit out at Jess.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Would you rather I cut the kid?" he asked.

Beauregard had watched the whole scene play out in gruesome fascination. Now it was all he could do to keep the tears from spilling out of his eyes. More than ever, all he wanted was to go home, and he didn't expect it to happen anytime soon. "Why did you do that?" he whined at Kincaid. "You hurt her!"

"Shut up, kid, before I hurt you," Jess ordered. And he walked outside, ignoring the chaos he'd caused.


	13. Maude Steps In

Chapter 13 – Maude Steps In

It was long past dark by the time the Maverick brothers got back to town. If the horses hadn't been exhausted, they would have stayed out looking for the elusive run-down cabins all night. The animals needed food and water, and Bret convinced Bart they could go back to Little Bend and take care of that, then return to searching.

Once the horses were taken care of, all four went to the Maverick house. The plan was to give the animals an hours rest, grab something to eat for themselves, and then go back to looking for the missing child. When they got to Bart's, they found that everything had changed, including the deadline. And to find Maude Donovan sitting in the Maverick front room.

"Hello Bart, Bret," Maude greeted them, before taking a swallow of her brandy-laced coffee. "We were hoping you'd have to come in sometime before dawn."

"Maude got a note from the kidnappers," Doralice explained. "Seems they finally figured out that we didn't have the money. Now they want it from Maude . . . and they want sixty-thousand dollars."

"By tomorrow morning?" Bart questioned, almost frantic.

"No. By 6 tomorrow night. And they sent this along with the note." Maude handed them the scarf Beauregard had on when he was abducted, full of blood. "They promised to return him in pieces if I didn't pay."

"Have you shown this to Parker?" Bret asked after examining the note.

"Not yet. He's been checking all the local mines to see if they were holding Beauregard there. I take it you didn't find anything?"

Bart looked discouraged. "No, we came in to rest the horses and then go back out."

"I'll pay the ransom, Bart."

He didn't know what to say, except, "No, Maude, you can't. They'll kill him if you pay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. They couldn't afford to leave him alive – he'd know what they all look like. We'll go back out at first light and find him."

Doralice took her mother's hand. "I told you the same thing, didn't I?"

"Nevertheless, I'm gonna have the money on hand. Just in case you two can't find him. That way we've got a backup plan."

"As long as you don't try to give it to anybody. It could cost us Beauregard's life." Bart dropped to the sofa and sat with his head in his hands. Everything seemed to be getting worse rather than better.

"Can you find him?" Maude asked.

"We will find him, Maude." That answer came from Bret.

She sat there for a minute or two before saying anything else. "Alright. I promise that I won't give money to anyone, but you two have to be home before 6 o'clock. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Bret answered.

"Of course," Bart replied.

XXXXXXXX

He had to stop and ask where Maude Donovan lived to leave the new ransom demand on her doorstep. He did his best not to be seen, but he really didn't know if anyone had spotted him or not. What did Jess expect? He'd sent Al out when there was still plenty of daylight, and on top of it all he had to leave a bloody scarf in plain sight. He didn't see anybody in the neighborhood, but that didn't mean they hadn't seen him. It was just gonna halfta be; it was the only thing he could do to abide by Jess's instructions.

The streets were deserted. Al wasn't sure if that was good or bad, so he dropped off the letter and scarf as quickly as he could get rid of them. They'd just have to wait and see what happened next.

He was ready for this to be over with. It had been a long time since he'd stayed in one place this long; yet he'd already promised Cindy that once they got married, they'd find a spot to set down roots. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that was never gonna happen. Cindy was everything he wanted in a girl . . . but not in a wife. And she wanted to be a wife, more than anything in the world. Maybe it would be best to just make a clean break when this kidnapping business was all over. He could go his own way and she could go hers. They'd both have enough money for a fresh start.

He raised his head quickly and realized he'd been sitting still too long. His boot heels nudged his horse in the ribs and they headed out-of-town in a southeast direction. He'd been daydreaming so long that he didn't see the deputy watching him from behind the buildings across the street. When Al finally moved on and headed toward the outlaw's hide-out, Jerry Samuels went straight to Dave Parker with the information. And Dave Parker went straight to the Mavericks.

XXXXXXXX

Doralice had just poured fresh coffee for everyone when there was a pounding on the door. "I'm comin'," she yelled and hurried to get it open before the person on the other side knocked it down. It was the sheriff.

"Hurry, come with me," he ordered the two men sitting at the kitchen table. "Hammond just left town, and we know which way he went." Bret and Bart both jumped up, grabbed their hats and raced to the front door. In the blink of an eye they were gone, and Doralice could hear the pounding of the horses' hooves on the dirt road.

"Godspeed and good luck," she murmured so that only she heard. "Bring back my boy."

Al had made no attempt to cover his tracks; he didn't expect anyone to be following him. When the three men chasing him came to the fork about three miles outside of town, they were surprised to see the tracks turn north. "That's where we went wrong," Bret told his brother. "We kept trying to go south, and they double-backed."

The trail went on for another four or five miles and then abruptly double-backed again. "I'm goin' back for Jerry and Willie," Dave decided. "You two wait here until we get back and we should be able to handle them."

As soon as Dave was out of sight, Bart turned to his brother. "What you do is up to you, but that's my boy in there. I ain't waitin' for Dave to get back."

"Hold on there, daddy, you don't think I'd let you go in alone, do you?" Bret slid down off his horse and dropped the reins. "But I think we better walk in."

"I think you're right," and Bart quickly followed suit. They attempted to be as quiet as possible; it was less than half a mile before a small clearing opened and they could see part of the cabin. They approached it cautiously until Beauregard let up a howl that could have been heard all the way back in town. "Let me go! That's my boy! They're hurtin' him!" Bret had to slap a hand over Bart's mouth to keep him from yelling and grabbed him around the waist to stop him from charging out into open ground. Bart struggled for a few minutes and then raised his hands in surrender. "I'm done! I ain't runnin' in there."

"Use your head, son. Chargin' in like that ain't gonna help nobody."

"I know, I know. It was just . . . to hear him scream like that . . . I was sure they were killin' him."

The sound of Beau's voice, calm and collected, went quite a way towards settling his father's nerves. It was followed by Cindy's voice, then a male voice that neither one could identify. "Horse's must be around back. Let's see if there's any windows back there." Bret took several steps around the outside perimeter and waited to see if Bart followed. When he did, they both continued.

The horses were indeed tied up in back, and there was a small window on the far side of the back wall. Bret snuck around until he was almost on top of the window, and then slowly peered into it. He withdrew quickly, but he'd seen enough. He crept back over to Bart's location and pulled his brother another three or four feet away before whispering. "They got a bed set up in the corner, and Beau's sittin' in it. The girl's sittin' next to him in a chair; I didn't see anybody else."

"How does he look?"

"He looks fine, Bart. There weren't no marks on him that I could see. He looked like he was about ready to go to sleep."

"How many are there?"

"All I could see was the two of them."

"There's seven horses out here."

"Probably two belong to the buckboard."

"That still leaves five. Even if the girl rode one, that's four to two."

Without warning there was shouting on the front side of the cabin; two angry male voices, followed by a gunshot, and then another. Dead silence for a split-second, then a woman's scream. Bret and Bart looked at each other and made a full circle back to the front of the cabin, as quietly and as quickly as they could. They weren't prepared for what they found.


	14. Time Has Come Today

Chapter 14 – Time has Come Today

"Cindy?"

"Yes, Beauregard?"

"When can I go home?"

"I already explained that, Beauregard. You have to stay here until your daddy comes to get you."

"But why?"

"Because. It's time for you to go to sleep."

"That's not an answer." That remark came out as a whine, but Beau didn't care. He was tired and hungry and needed a bath, and he didn't like any of the people here. As a matter of fact, he was afraid of the one that Cindy called 'Jess.' He was just downright mean.

"It's the only answer you're gonna get, bucko," Rob said as he walked past the bed.

From the far corner, Kincaid called out to Cindy, "Put the kid to bed already."

"He's in a mood," Rob explained. "You better do as he says. And for God's sake, keep him quiet."

Beauregard was tired of being the good boy and everyone telling him to be quiet, and in protest he let out a blood-curdling scream. Everything ground to an immediate halt, until Beau asked quietly, "Why do I have to stay here?"

"Why did you do that, Beauregard? Kincaid ain't happy."

The mean man that Cindy called Kincaid got up and slowly walked over to the bed. His remark was aimed directly at the child and no one else. "You do that again and I'll cut your tongue out." He walked outside to wait for Al's return, no longer willing to deal with a temperamental four-year-old.

The verbal altercation with Beauregard left Kincaid in an even worse frame of mind than he'd been in before. After all the time they'd spent and all the hard work everyone put in, it looked like it was falling apart. Nothing was working the way it should be after all the weeks they'd spent plotting and planning, observing and waiting. Maverick didn't have the money everyone thought he had, and Jess was forced to change the focus of the ransom plot from the parents to the grandmother. The kid was a pain to deal with, and being in such close proximity to the other gang members over an extended period of time was wearing his nerves thin. So Jess was already in a foul mood when Al Hammond rode up quite so casually and dismounted.

"How'd it go?" Jess queried.

"Alright," came the slow reply.

"Any problems?"

"Nope, not one."

"Did you cover your tracks?"

That question stopped Al cold. He'd been so concerned about being seen that he'd forgotten to hide his trail on the way back. So he did the only thing he could do – he lied. "Of course I did."

"You're lyin' to me, Al."

"I ain't. I swear, Jess."

"We been through this before, Hammond. You know how I hate lyin'."

"Jess, nobody saw me. Nobody followed me. Ain't nobody out there lookin' for us. You're worried about nothin'."

"Worried about nothin', huh? Last time this happened I told you no more. You ain't been payin' real close attention to me." Kincaid was yelling now, having lost his temper a few minutes back. "We almost got caught the last time you lied."

"I told you I wouldn't do that again, and I kept my word. I ain't some dog you can kick around whenever you feel the need to do so. Get off my back." Al started to take his horse around back when Kincaid's temper got the better of him, and he pulled his gun. Hammond saw the flash of the barrel, and in just a moment his hand was full of Remington. Jess shot first and hit what he was aiming at; Al's gun fired erratically into the air as he fell.

Hearing Al's voice, Cindy came to the door of the cabin just in time to see her man dropped by Kincaid's bullet. She screamed and ran out to try and save him, but it was too late. Al Hammond was dead, right along with Cindy Elwood's dream of being his wife. Danny appeared from nowhere and pulled his sister away from the body, and she ripped herself from his grasp and ran to Kincaid, where she slapped her ex-lover as hard as she could. Kincaid slapped her back.

"Get outta here, Cindy, before I shoot you, too. I told him to quit lyin' to me, told him more than once. You don't pay any attention to me, you gotta pay the price."

"Cindy!" Beauregard cried out for the only person that he knew, and she ran back inside and picked him up. "You're crying. Are you hurt?"

"No, Beauregard, I'm not hurt. But my friend is. And now I have to keep you safe." The tears ran down her face and she made a solemn vow that no harm would come to the little boy she held in her arms, no matter what.

Danny was outside when the shooting occurred; he picked up a shovel and started digging a grave. . . Rob headed out to help. He paused for a moment next to Jess to ask a question. "Was that really necessary?"

Kincaid didn't hesitate. "Damn right it was. He was gonna get us killed one of these days, lyin' about whether he'd done somethin' or not. For all we know somebody could be followin' his trail right now. We're runnin' outta time."

"We'll get outta here tonight. With or without the money."

Kincaid shook his head. "I ain't leavin' without payday. When you're done out there, take Danny into town and find Maude Donovan. See what you can get from her. We gotta get somethin' out of this."

Within the hour Rob and Danny were saddled up and on their way into Little Bend. Bret and Bart were determined that now was the time to rescue Beauregard and take him home where he belonged; the arrival of Dave Parker and his deputies reinforced their resolve.

.


	15. A New Turn

Chapter 15 – A New Turn

As the sun began to set they put their plan into action. Dave and his deputies covered the front and sides of the cabin; Bart and Bret around back. When everyone was in position Bret untied one of the saddle horses and sent him galloping away. Kincaid grabbed his shotgun and appeared at the front door but stopped before he left the shelter of the building. Meanwhile, Bart got a bead on Kincaid from the rear, through the window.

Dave called out, "Come on out of there now, Kincaid. You're surrounded and you ain't goin' nowhere but jail."

Cursing under his breath, Kincaid's only answer was a shotgun blast that almost caught the sheriff. Bart broke out the window in front of him and took a shot at Kincaid that missed. Jess grabbed Cindy, who still had Beauregard in her arms, and all shooting stopped. Nobody was willing to run the risk of hitting the child. Meanwhile, Beau had caught sight of his father and was crying and calling, "Daddy! Daddy!"

"It's alright, son, it's alright," Bart tried his best to reassure his boy.

Jess kept the shotgun trained on Beauregard. "You shoot again and he's a dead kid." He backed up until he was almost through the front door, never losing his grip on the girl.

"Let us go, Jess," Cindy hissed at Kincaid and tried to escape from his vice-like hold.

"Hey, you out back, you his pa?" he yelled at Bart.

"I am," came the answer.

"Come around to the front." Bart did as told and walked around to the front door. "Now throw the gun down." Once again Bart obeyed the command . . . Kincaid still had his shotgun pointed directly at Beau. "We're goin' on a little trip, and you're comin' with us. Who's the other one that was back there with you?"

"My brother."

"He got a name?"

"Bret."

"Hey, Bret Maverick," Jess hollered this time. "I need you to hook the horses up to the wagon, then bring it around front. You got that?"

"Yeah," Bret responded. "I got that." As soon as it was done, Bret climbed up on the wagon and drove it around front.

"Alright, Bret, get down and stand right there, and let's have all the lawmen out there do the same. Stand right next to him. Now, everybody drop your guns." Handgun's could be heard making a 'thud' sound as they hit the ground.

Kincaid pulled Cindy and Beau with him as he stepped out the front door. "You, daddy, get up in the wagon and take the reins. The rest of you get in here." He gestured to the cabin as he took several steps of his own, towards the wagon. "Cindy, put the kid in the bed of the wagon. Now get up there and sit next to daddy." Once everyone was situated, Kincaid walked back to the cabin and closed the door. "Now, everybody behave and the kid lives." He struggled some but got into the wagon bed, with the shotgun still aimed at Beau. The boy stared at Kincaid with every bit of curiosity and loathing he could manage.

"Let's go, Daddy," Kincaid intoned.

Bart looked back over his shoulder and told Kincaid, "I got a name, you know."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Bart."

"Alright, Bart, head northeast for about two miles, when you come to the river you'll cross it and head east."

"What are you hopin' for, Kincaid? You tryin to get outta this alive?"

"Shutup, Maverick. I'll tell you like I told the kid. You keep yammerin' and I'll cut out your tongue."

Beauregard finally spoke up. "Daddy, why did it take you so long to come for me?"

"Shhh, it's a long story, Beau, and I'll explain it all to you later. For now, please just sit quietly and leave Mr. Kincaid alone, alright?"

"Alright." They rode in silence for almost ten minutes before Beauregard couldn't stand it anymore. "Daddy . . . "

"Shhhh, son."

"What are you gonna do now, Jess?" That came from Cindy, breaking her silence at last.

"That ain't for you to worry about, Cindy."

The girl turned to Bart, much to his surprise. "I'm sorry, Mr. Maverick, about this whole mess. I never should have agreed to help."

"We all make mistakes, Cindy," Bart told her softly.

The trip took about thirty minutes before they ended up at another abandoned house. At least this one was in better shape than the first one they'd been in. "Drive around the back," Jess ordered. Once positioned in back, everybody climbed out of the wagon and headed for the back door that this structure had. It was dark and damp inside, but a kerosene lamp was soon found and lit. "Maverick, you sit over there. Take the kid with you. Cindy, take this rope and tie your new friend up. And don't try to pull anything on me, I'm gonna check what you do, and if it ain't tight I'll just kill him."

"Sorry," Cindy whispered as she finished. "Beauregard, can you sit next to your daddy and behave for a while?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Jess checked the rope and was satisfied that Cindy had done a good job. "Alright, your turn. Sit down and don't give me no trouble." He laid the shotgun out of reach and tied Cindy, much the way she'd tied Bart.

"I'm hungry," Beauregard professed.

"Everybody's hungry, kid. You hafta wait until the boys get here."

"How do you know they're coming?" Cindy wondered.

"Because we made arrangements to meet here," Kincaid answered.

Twenty minutes later horses were heard outside. Jess and his shotgun were ready and waiting when Rob and Danny arrived. Rob was carrying a bank bag that looked to be full and Kincaid smiled for the first time in days. "Hey, what's the meaning of this?" Danny asked indignantly when he saw his sister tied up.

"Sorry, it was necessary," Jess explained. "She tried to help Maverick and I had no choice."

Elwood began to untie Cindy and Jess stopped him. "She can't be trusted, Dan."

"She's my sister, Jess. I can't leave her tied up."

"If she steps out of line I won't hesitate to shoot her."

Danny smirked and finished untying her. "If she steps out of line you won't have to. I'll shoot her."

"You wouldn't," Cindy insisted as she rubbed her wrists.

"Don't force me to prove it," her brother advised.

Bart listened to the exchange, totally certain that if his brother and the law couldn't find this place, he and Beauregard wouldn't be long for the mortal world.


	16. Real Glad

Chapter 16 – Real Glad

It took Bret, Parker, and the two deputies an hour to get out of the cabin and round up their horses. By that time it was pitch black outside, and another hour had passed before the moon gave enough light to see by. "I think we should wait for first light," Parker decided, but that didn't stop Bret from going after his brother and his nephew.

"They could be dead by morning," Bret declared. "I did enough scouting, I can still track 'em at night. I ain't takin' any chances."

"Alright, but I still think we're makin' a mistake." Dave understood what Bret was saying, and the man inside the sheriff was all for leaving now rather than waiting. "This is your party," he told Bret. "You take the lead."

And that's what Bret did, knowing full well that the fate of his brother and nephew lay in his hands.

XXXXXXXX

Danny convinced Cindy to cook breakfast for what was left of the group, before they left for their next stop, San Jose de Las Padres. Rob stopped Jess as he was making coffee to ask, "What's next? Are you still gonna set them free once we're over the border?"

"That's the plan," Jess answered. "I ain't gonna kill either one of 'em unless I have to. But if they give me any kind of grief at all . . . You better tell 'em that."

When food was ready, Cindy fixed Bart and Beau a plate and took it over to them. Beauregard fed himself, but Cindy had to feed Bart, as Kincaid wouldn't allow his hands to be untied. "I'm sorry for all this," Cindy explained. "But if you behave, Jess promises to let you two go once we cross the border."

"And you believe that?" Bart questioned her.

"He gave me his word."

"And we both know that means so much."

"Jess can be reasonable when he wants to be," Cindy insisted.

"Like when he killed Al."

"I think you should be glad he's willing to let you live, Mr. Maverick."

"Oh, I would be, Cindy, if I thought he was serious."

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

"Doesn't look like I have any choice."

Jess wanted to load up the wagon and head for the border when everyone was finished. Since they had the money and hostages, Rob agreed with him. Danny and Cindy assumed that the best course of action was to keep their mouths shut and do whatever Kincaid wanted to do.

So after a minimum of packing and loading, the four adults and one four-year-old set out for Mexico. What they didn't know or expect was being followed by the group from Little Bend. With Bret tracking and saddle horses making excellent time against a team pulling a slower moving wagon, by noon the next day the 'posse' had almost caught up to them. Both groups were within 15 miles of Del Rio, and Bret pulled up so that he and Parker could discuss what they were gonna do.

"We gotta get 'em on this side of the border, Dave."

"I agree, Bret. So we take 'em tonight. If they camp on the outskirts of Del Rio we should be able to get 'em."

Maverick nodded. "I can't see 'em crossin' into Mexico after dark. Let's just assume we take 'em before midnight."

"Alright, here's how it should come down . . . " and Dave outlined the way he wanted them to handle it. Bret agreed, and the four of them felt they pretty well knew how it was gonna go.

They kept trailing Kincaid's bunch, and somewhere right around eight o'clock the outlaws found a secluded spot just north of Del Rio and settled in for the night. They were out in the open, under the stars, and all Bret and Dave had to do now was wait.

Kincaid was feeling generous . . . he had Bart's hands untied so that Beauregard could sleep in his father's arms. No matter what he'd implied or promised, he fully intended to eliminate father and son. Around eleven o'clock everyone was asleep save for Danny, who had the first watch. By the time the Little Bend bunch was ready to go, even Danny had fallen asleep. Dave and Bret moved into position, and the deputies made sure all the horses were untied from the picket line.

Bret snuck up behind Rob and hit him with his gun butt; then proceeded to tie the man up. Parker took care of Danny the same way. Bret stepped the wrong way on a downed tree branch, and Kincaid was awake and reaching for his gun in an instant. Cindy woke almost immediately and rolled over, taking Beauregard out of Bart's arms and trying to shield him with her body. Kincaid shot erratically at Bret, and the bullet headed towards Parker instead. He tried to run past Bart, who'd been sleeping on the ground, Bart reached out and grabbed Kincaid's foot. The gunslinger reciprocated with a shot that caught Bart right above the left elbow. He howled but never let go, and Jess got off another wild shot as he fell.

Bret didn't waste any chances. He stood solid and aimed at Kincaid, and caught him in the stomach when Bart pulled him down. Jess shot once more, aiming at the four-year-old, but Cindy rolled over just in time and caught the bullet in the back. Beauregard was safe, but Cindy made on 'oof' sound and died instantly.

Beau wiggled out from underneath the dead weight that was Cindy and scooted across the grass, reaching his father with a cry of "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Bart ignored the pain in his elbow and opened his arms to Beauregard, wrapping the little boy in an all-encompassing embrace. The two Mavericks held each other and wept.

Rob and Danny were tied up; Cindy and Jess were dead. "She . . . saved me, Daddy. Cindy . . . saved me. She was a good person . . . after all."

"Yes, she was, Beau. Yes, she was." And father pulled son as close to him as he could get the boy. The only thing racing through his mind was _'Thank you, God. Thank you, thank you, thank you.'_

A moment later Bret was there, prying Beau out of his father's arms so that he could see the elbow that had taken the bullet. "Looks like it's still there, but it don't appear to be nothin' too serious. We'll get you to a doctor in Del Rio and get it taken care of." He turned his attention to the boy. "You alright, Scooter?"

"Yes, Uncle, I'm unharmed. Cindy's sure dead though, isn't she?"

"Does that bother you?"

Beauregard gave that some thought. "Yes and no."

"C'mon, help me get your Pa up in the wagon. We gotta find him a doctor."

"Can we go home then, Uncle?"

"Yes, sir, we sure can. And I know somebody that's gonna be real glad to see you."

"Mother."

"That's right. And your Grandma."

"And I'll be real glad to see them."


	17. Small Favors

Chapter 17 – Small Favors

They had to wait almost an hour at the doctor's office in Del Rio for Dr. Henry Diamond to get in. Then it took another hour for the bullet to be extracted and Bart's arm to be bandaged. Bret and the deputies bought enough supplies to get them home, and Sheriff Parker spent the time with Marshal Evers Benedict, explaining the turn of events.

When all the legal formalities were finished, Dave and his deputies took Cindy's body, along with a very much alive Rob and Danny, back to Little Bend. Bret sold the wagon in Del Rio and bought a carriage to replace it; riding home was more comfortable for all three of the Maverick men. It took them a day longer to return home than they expected, but there was much celebrating by all concerned once they'd arrived. Doralice gathered her son and husband in her arms and threatened never to let either one of them go. Ginny was back from her latest trip and was thrilled to have her husband back in one piece; and Maude got all of her money back, as well as her grandson.

Later that evening, Doralice was listening to Beauregard explain all the things that had happened to him, when quite suddenly he quit talking. It was several minutes before he looked up at his mother and told her, "I guess Cindy saved my life after all."

"Yes, she did, son," his mother replied. "But you must remember that Cindy was the one that kidnapped you to begin with. She was very confused, Beauregard, but she did the right thing in the end."

"Can we go to the cemetery and put flowers on her grave? I want to say thank you."

She brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Yes, we can. Just remember, good people can do bad things sometimes. Cindy made a mistake, but she did her best to try and fix it. And I'm grateful that she took care of you."

Once her little boy was fast asleep, she went to sit in the front room with her husband. "How's your elbow?" she asked him.

"Gettin' better. I'm lucky that Kincaid's aim was off when he pulled the trigger. How's Beauregard?"

"Considering what he went through, he's pretty good. He wants to go put flowers on Cindy's grave."

Bart shook his head. "That sounds like him. She did protect him in the end, though. I guess we should be grateful for small favors, shouldn't we?"

"It certainly taught me a lesson. And the next time I meet someone new, I'll be sure and tell you all about them."

Bart leaned over and kissed his wife. "I'm just glad it's all over. I want to get our house built out at the ranch and get us all moved out there. I'll feel safer that way. Say, is there any coffee left from supper?"

"I think so. I'll get you a cup."

When Doralice returned, she only brought one cup of coffee with her. "Aren't you having any?" her husband asked

She shook her head no. "It doesn't sound good tonight."

"Uh, Doralice . . . are you, uh . . . are we gonna have number five?"

She got a smile on her face before answering him. "You know, I hadn't thought about it. But it's entirely possible."

And a few months later, when their fifth child was born, they named her Lily.

The End


End file.
